Athol-Thurman

Thurman Emergency Medical Services will be holding a chicken & biscuit dinner with a basket raffle on Saturday Aug. 24 at the squad building, located at 572 High St.

This event is in memory of Suzie Baker, who was committed to community service. She was a very active, loyal member and treasurer of the ambulance squad.

In addition, she conducted the local Christmas memory tree effort from 2005 through 2009. Suzie launched the Mommy and Me Club which for years provided fun activities for local youngsters and their mothers.

Also, she was a board member of the Thurman Youth Commission and in her role with the panel, she initiated the trips to the YMCA and ski program for the youth. Suzie also served as Deputy Town Secretary some years back.

The ambulance squad’s memorial dinner not only features chicken and biscuits, but also tossed salad, corn and ice cream sundaes for dessert. The cost is only $7 for adults, $3 for children 5 to 10 years old and free for those under 5. Take-outs will be available; and to accommodate those with mobility issues, free delivery is offered for the elderly. For details or to arrange delivery, call Becky at 623-4254 or Sally at 623-4730.

Events and activities in the hills

The Gleaning food distribution, held at 1 p.m. on the first Monday of every month, next falls on Aug. 5 this month. Be sure to bring reusable cloth bags or your old shopping bags to bring your goods home.

The Thurman Quilting Group holds their meetings every Monday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the town hall. Bring your knitting, sewing, or quilting projects and make some new friends. For details, contact Myra at 623-2633.

The Thurman Fire Company holds their meetings on the Friday of the first full week of the month at the Thurman firehouse in Athol. Their next meeting is Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. Those interested in becoming a volunteer, stop in and ask how you can help.

The county-sponsored bus service to Glens Falls runs on the second and fourth Friday of every month. It will run Friday, Aug. 9 and is free to seniors age 60 and over. It’s said to offer a delightful time and a great way to catch up with neighbors. To go should call Laura by Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 623-9281.

This week’s outdoor concert and market in the park will feature True Grit Outlaws, which is comprised of Mike Meneely on rhythm guitar and the lead vocals, Shawn Blackmer on bass guitar, Butch Ralph on lead guitar, and Tom Patterson on drums. This group performs in a variety of genres such as southern rock, country and some classic rock tunes.

Concerts are held every Monday during August at Thurman’s Veterans’ Memorial Field from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The last concert of the season is to be held Aug. 26 with a fireworks display at dusk.

Clothing helps families of modest means

The 2013-2014 School year is fast approaching and as families clean out our children’s dressers and closets, they are encouraged to remember those who are less fortunate. Donating gently used clothing to an agency such as North Country Ministry, with its outreach center on Main Street in Warrensburg, is a wonderful way to help a youngster who would otherwise have nothing new to wear, start their year off right.

The Salvation Army Community Center, located at 13 Chester St. in Glens Falls is now accepting applications by phone for their Shoes for Kids program. This program gives out vouchers for a pair of shoes for income-eligible families. To determine if your family qualifies, call the Salvation Army at 792-1960 to schedule an appointment.

Another enterprise helping families prepare their children for the new school year is Warren-Hamilton Community Action Agency. This entity helps students with basic needs such as, notebooks, pencils and pens, crayons, glue sticks and a backpack. To request an application, call them at 793-0636.

Over the fence

When doing your back-to-school shopping, please remember to save those shoeboxes, as they are perfect for filling with items for Operation Christmas Child. Filled boxes should be dropped off at the Thurman Town Hall during regular business hours. Gail Needham will pick up filled boxes and prepare them to be shipped overseas. This mission sends shoeboxes filled with pens and pencils, hard candy, small toys and perhaps a shirt for children who may receive nothing on Christmas morning. Let’s beat last year’s number of filled boxes — we can do better than 13!

Thurmanites’ special days

Celebrating anniversaries this week are two couples: Bernie and Myrna McGuade also Dan and Laurie Smith on Aug. 9.